Australian Holiday Dialysis Konnections
If you are on dialysis, the Dialysis Konnections Program can help you to arrange a respite break, interstate travel for a special occasion, or a well earned holiday. After you are registered and approved, your request to swap to a dialysis unit at the location you are visiting is advertised anonymously on this page of the KHA website. When someone at the location you requested registers and makes an enquiry about your request, KHA will arrange a private exchange of additional information.
After an introduction is made, the two registered “Konnectees” firstly discuss dates etc. Once initial agreement is reached, each Konnectee finalises the dialysis chair swap with their own dialysis unit staff. Medical documents (referrals and details of your medical history and treatment) must be swapped before final approval by each dialysis unit.
Dialysis unit staff must be aware of your plan to travel. You must keep them updated and consult with staff at every step, to ensure that they are happy and fully approve the dialysis chair swap, for the period arranged.
What are the steps required to arrange a swap to another dialysis unit?
- STEP 1 - REGISTER You must provide signed confirmation from your nephrologist and dialysis unit staff, noting that your health is stable and you can travel. Use Letter of Registration - Australian Holiday Dialysis Konnections for this purpose.
- STEP 2 - ADVERTISE On receipt of your signed letter, which would include details of your travel wish in this office, we simply list your area of dialysis in the Australian Holiday Dialysis Konnections Register below. (Your Renal Unit and the exact location are not identified - only areas are noted).
- STEP 3 - RECOGNITION Another haemodialysis patient wishing to travel (who must also be registered under the same criteria) sees your travel wish details and location on the Register.
- STEP 4 - CONTACT This person makes contact with our office, requesting a 'Konnection', to enable you to talk about a dialysis chair swap for an agreed time period.
- STEP 5 - EXCHANGE You contact your possible dialysis chair swap partner to refine your plans, dates etc. and then talk to your individual dialysis unit contact, to confirm and complete the arrangements.
Keep in mind the following important points:
A few Dialysis Units around Australia try to keep vacancies for holidaying patients and are listed below.
Some Dialysis Units may have temporary vacancies for a set period and may at times list these below.
Some Dialysis Units may require patient screening for communicable diseases, before an exchange is approved.
Use our Australian Dialysis Unit Guide to refer to the various locations of Dialysis Units. If any of the steps seems unclear, or you want further information, contact Teresa Taylor on 08 8334 7509 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 08 8334 7509 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email info@kidney.org.au
Note that your personal contact information will not be given to any other party, until you give your full permission at the time for the introduction. See our Privacy Policy for your information.
How to register and send us your request: When your Letter of Registration is signed and complete, post it to us with full details of your travel wish, to:
Teresa Taylor - Website Manager
Australian Holiday Dialysis Konnections
Kidney Health Australia
GPO Box 9993
Adelaide SA 5001
Important things to consider - use our Australian Dialysis Unit Guide to refer to Dialysis Unit locations
- Talk to your dialysis unit staff or nephrologist before you start to plan any holiday. Ask them if they feel you could enter into this program.
- You may need to be flexible around your original plans to come to an agreement on exchange dates. You will need to swap exact treatment times with each other.
- When you register, you agree to allow your name and contact details to be given to another registered program patient who has shown interest in discussing an exchange. Make sure you are comfortable with passing on your personal contact details to any suitable dialysis swap partners before registering.
- No private contact details or exactly locations of dialysis units will be listed of the Register below - an entry will only list a registrant's current location and desired destination (See example in the Register).
- Your dialysis unit will have access to the necessary paperwork to send your treatment/condition details to the other participating unit. There may be certain conditions where the other unit may not accept your treatment.
- You must check with your own dialysis unit prior to agreeing to an exchange of dialysis chairs.
- Illness, emergency situations in the dialysis unit or some other situation may arise, where one of the pair have no option but to cancel your agreed plans, preventing the exchange. You would be wise to consider some form of travel insurance, or personal cover and savings, should your travel plans be cancelled.
Disclaimer: Kidney Health Australia undertakes no responsibility for cancelled holiday exchanges or unusual circumstances that may evolve around this arrangement. Kidney Health Australia has no responsibility for any financial loss incurred by any cancelled or delayed dialysis exchange. All Kidney Health Australia will do is facilitate a safe exchange of contact details between those registered in this program.The remaining arrangements are up to you.
Australian Holiday Dialysis Konnections Register
Updated 1 July 2010